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i'm tossing these new ribbon straw flower pins (and a whole bunch of other stuff) in my car and heading up to the bay area. see you there!
(p.s. sorry about the sucky lighting! i think i really need to get a tabletop studio)
i will be bringing some of my collection of vintage flower looms to the workshop/demo i will be teaching at maker faire.
i just love the new "kyuuto" series of books. i recently went to visit a client and she was just unpacking an order. she pulled out the "woolly embroidery" book from the series and said "this book has your name written all over it". how could i resist?
i think this cushion has to be my favorite. just love that there is only one tassel!
(from kyuuto! japanese crafts woolly embroidery published by chronicle books, 2008)
OK so i know you're thinking that i only like vintage kitsch. well you might be surpirsed that i also like nice new things too.
i became aware of the work of natalie chanin because of my work in the fashion industry. i just fell in love with her designs for her former company "project alabama". and i was so inspired by her story. natalie grew up in florence, alabama and left to work in fashion in new york and europe for 22 years. she returned home started her company and employed local quilters and seamstresses - "stitchers" - to hand sew the garments. the results were breathtaking.
natalie's work continues with her new company "alabama chanin" and she has just written a very beautiful book. it's a lovely book to just sit down and read even if you never actually make any of the projects (like the skirt pictured here). my favorite part is how she explains to "love your thread".
(alabama stitch book - projects and stories celebrating hand-sewing, quilting and embroidery for contemporary sustainable style published by stewart, taboori & chang, 2008)
spent all weekend preparing for bazaar bizarre/maker faire!
"for the woman on the go--here's a perfectly practical addition to your wardrobe. practical because it's roomy enough to accomodate all the things you usually carry in your purse plus any small purchases you might make. perfect because, like almost all handcrafted accessories, it's an instant compliment getter."
well, if i was lucky enough to encounter this lovely lady in what looks like the most bitchen shopping mall of all time i might not stop at her macrame bag with the compliments. the hair, dress, shoes and accessories cerainly also deserve to be complimented. and by the way she's looking into that display window i think she might be needing a bigger shopping bag after she snaps up all of those bargains.
(from advanced macrame published by cunningham art products, 1972)
i really need a new sewing machine. the sears kenmore i bought in 1987 that was never all that great to begin with is getting tired. i have my eye on a vintage (of course) italian (who knew?) one. for major purchases i like to make sure i know as much as i can before i buy. while conducting my research i ran across a promotion booklet that the company issued showing a few fun projects made with felt. of course a picture of this super cute sunglass case really gives me no idea as to how good my potential sewing machine may or may not be, but it somehow makes it that much more tempting.
i am so excited to once again be a vendor at bazaar bizarre/maker faire on may 3-4 at the san mateo expo center (that's just a little south of san francisco). please check out this video podcast of last's year's event so you can see what all of the fuss is about!
i have just assembled a whole bunch of vintage flower loom kits that i will be selling along with some of my other handicrafts. i will also be teaching the "create ribbon straw flowers on vintage flower looms" workshop/demo on sunday from 2:00 - 2:30.
and if that's not enough i just found out that i will be also vendor at renegade craft fair in brooklyn june 14-15!
if you come to either of these shows please stop by my table and say hi!
i'm finding alot of inspiration here for my day job.
(from fashions made with the heir-loom heir-loom publishing corp., stoneham, mass. 1971)
you might remember the "afghans made with the heir-loom" posts from a couple of months ago. many of you expressed feelings of both horror and delight. so how could i resist when i ran across "fashions made with the heir-loom"?
(from fashions made with the heir-loom heir-loom publishing corp., stoneham, mass. 1971)
